When Canadians come to MIC

Canadian veteran Michael Perstinger was one of them. “I served for 23 years and deployed for 2 tours in Afghanistan,” he shared. My ‘civvie’ job is as a 3D animator in the games industry in Montreal,” he shared. “My side project with my battle buddy, Dave Morrow, is called Voluntold. We aim to help 100k vets lose 2 million pounds by gamifying their workouts, using wearable heart rate monitors and step counters.”

Their passion behind Voluntold is to not only improve the health of veterans but save their lives too. Recognizing that suicide can be prevented with things like community and exercise stimulating happy hormones, they went all in on building the company.

“The reasons for creating this company and focusing on movement are twofold. First, by getting in 8000 steps a day, veterans can cut their health risks like heart attack and stroke by 50%. Second, regular physical activity has been shown to improve mental health outcomes,” he said.

Both he and Dave had heard about the Military Influencer Conference through word of mouth and were told it was an amazing place to connect with other veteran entrepreneurs. Realizing there was nothing like that in Canada, they made the decision to head out to Vegas in 2022 to see what it was all about.

“MIC 2022 did not disappoint! It was the best Veteran event I have ever participated in…The best part was all the people we met and connected with. They were all so warm and welcoming and ready to help or advise in any way they could. It was truly magical,” he said. “Not only are we coming back for MIC 2023, but we are actively recruiting fellow Canadian Veterans to come with us, too.”

Perstinger went on to say he would absolutely recommend MIC to every veteran he encounters and is looking forward to the “Formation” event in November. Picking their favorite connection at the 2022 event was hard, he added.

“There are too many to name but if I had to choose one it would be connecting with the Gruntstyle Foundation. There is a story behind it but to stay brief I think both Will Weisner’s jaw and mine hit the floor at the same time,”  he explained.

It’s safe to say that he and his friend are planning to attend again in 2023. As for what Perstinger would advise new attendees thinking about going to MIC, it was simple.